Curtain wrapping machine



May 17, 1932.

A. RICHTER CURTAIN WRAPPING MACHlNE Filed April 26. 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 17, 1932. A. RICHTER CURTAIN WRAPPING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 26. 1950 May 17, 19327. An RlcHTER 1,859,051

CURTAIN WRAPPING MACHINE Filed April 26, 1930 3 Sheets-Sham*l 5 Patented May 17, 1932 STATES ALFRED RICHTER, F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS CURTAIN WRAPPING MACHINE Application filed .April 26,

The present invention relates to machines for rolling and wrapping articles similar to window curtains, and the like, to facilitate handling' and delivery without soiling, creasing, or rumpling them. y

One of the objects of the present invention is to roll cardboard or paper about a drum to form a suitable core about which the curtain may be rolled and wrapped.

Another object is to provide means for supplying pressure upon the cardboard, curtain or other article to produce tight, closely and smoothly wrapped article. Another object is to provide means Whereby when the article is suitably rolled, and wrapped the diameter of the central portion about which the article is rolled may be decreased in diameter to permit easy removal of the article therefrom.

With the above and other objects in view, which will more particularly appear from the following description, my invention as adapted to Wrapping window curtains, con- "Q'sists of the construction and arrangement ings, in which like numerals 'of reference refer to the same parts throughout the various views, and in which,

Figure l is a top plan view of one of my machines.

Figure 2 is'an end view of the drum showing the grippers closed upon the cardboard.

Figure 3 is an end view of the drum showlj'ging the grippers retracted out of engagement with the cardboard.

Figure 4 is a general `end view of my machine, taken from the right in Figure l.

Figure 5 is a general view of the tension means applied to the winding. 40 Figure 6 is a detail view of the parts 17,

18 and 20.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one embodiment of my invention as adapted for rolling and wrapping window curtains and the like articles. To accomplish this object, the machine is constructed with a suitable shaft 1, rotatably mountedv in bearings carried by hangers 2, 2 or other suitable bearings for supporting and permitting the operation of said shaft therein. A drive Wheel 3 is of parts as shown in the accompanying draw- 1930. Serial No. 447,657.

generally mountedupon said shaft l, and power is applied to drive said shaft by belt to said drive wheel from some suitable source of power `as electric motor, (not shown). The shaft 1 projects to a suitable distance at 55 the Vright of the hangers in Figure 1 as 4, and upon this portion of the shaft is mountedv a suitable drum 5 which is adapted to be rotated with said shaft. At one portion of the periphery of said drum, a longitudinal recess 6 is provided, extending the entire length of said drum, and of a suitable .width and depth to receive and permit the operation of the parts hereinafter described as mounted andloperated therewithin. Suitable bearing blocks as 7, 7, 7, are mounted upon said drum and within the said recess and the rod 9 is rotatably mounted within said bearings. This rod preferably extends the length of said drum and outwardly 'at'the right end thereof in Figure 1, and upon this outer end is mounted a suitable crank 10 for rotation of said rod. Attached at suitable distances along the length of the rod 9 are grippers 1l, 11, 11 of the shape shown, which said grippers are adapted to engage cardboard placed beneath the ends thereof when said grippers are closed by turning the rod 9 to the left as shown in Figure 2, and are adapted tohold such cardboard or other article engaged thereby, against slipping backward when the drum is rotated in operation. A tension spring 12, having one end attached to the crank 10, and the other end attached pivotally to the drum at 13 is provided to hold the Se grippers in the open position shown Figure 3, or in the closed position shown in Figure 2, whenever moved'to those positions, the action of this struct-ure being similar to that of a snap switch. Adjacent the machine is usually provided a table as 14 for the convenience of laying the curtain before introducing it into said machine, and below this table is mounted a rod 15 in suitable bearings 16, 16, and tension members are loosely mounted upon this rod 15, as at 17, 17. Mounted also upon said rod 15are provided springs as18, 18, having engagement means for engaging the rod when it is rotated,.and when turned by said rod, pressing upward upon the ten- 00 sion members and their extensions 20, 20 which in turn are pressed against the drum or any material being rolled about said drum. A lever is provided at the outer end of rod 15 for the purpose of rotating said rod, and bringing spring pressure to bear upon the tension members, and releasing the said tension when desired. Adjacent to this lever 21 is provided a segment having a rack 22 and attached to the lever is a spring actuated dog 23 adapted to engage the teeth of the rack 22, and retain said lever in Whatever position it is placed. Guides 24 are also attached to the drum adjacent to the recess to receive the cardboard or other article therebeneath for wrapping, and said guides also form a stop to align the forward edge of said cardboard or material placed thereunder to provide for accurate aligning in winding material upon said drum. Adjacent the right end of the drum Figure l is provided a removable support for the end of said drum, said support 25 being adapted to be retracted to permit free removal of the wrapped parcel from the end of said drum as hereinafter described.

To wrap curtains on the present construction of machine, with the grippers retracted to the position shown in Figure 3, and the tension members released, a sheet of cardboard or heavy paper of width greater than the curtain to be wrapped is passed under the drum and brought up in front, with the forward edge under the guides 24. The crank 10 is then operated to close the grippers as shown in Figure 2, thereby engaging the forward edge of the cardboard by the grippers, and the lever 2l is operated to increase the pressure of the tension members against the cardboard. rlhe drum is now rotated by the application of power to the driving pulley 3, rotating the drum clockwise, thereby wrapping the cardboard tightly about the drum and the grippers, until but a small portion remains unwound in the rear of the drum. The forward edge of the curtain is introduced underneath this rear edge of cardboard and against the previous layer of cardboard, and as the drum is rotated again, the curtain is rolled gradually about the roll of cardboard, which thus forms a cardboard tube within the curtain wrapped there about. lVhen the curtain or curtains are nearly wound upon the drum, the forward edge of a suitable sheet of wrapping paper is introduced between the free end of the curtain and the prior layer, and thepaper is wrapped about the curtain by the forward rotating of the drum, the pressure of the tension members at all times holding the materials firmly against the drum, thus pro ducing a close winding of the material, and the pressure of this tension member also prevents the material from becoming loose or unwinding when the rotation of the drum is stopped for any purpose. When the curtain has been completely wrapped, the last edge of the wrapping cover of paper is attached by gummed tape, or may be tied in place, and the ends projecting beyond the inner core of cardboard, may be folded inwardly at the ends, thus completely covering and protecting the curtain from without, while the cardboard core protects it from within.

To remove the wrapped curtain from the drum, the grippers are retracted to open position shown in Figure 3, the tension members are released by moving the lever l() to the reverse, and the removable support 25 is released from contact with the drum. By reason of the fact that the grippers project above the circumference of the drum when hey are in closed position, it will be readily seen, that the cardboard wound thereabout has a larger internal diameter than the diameter of the drum, and when the grippers have been retracted out of contact with the cardboard core, the core is loose upon the drum, and may be easily and quickly removed from the free end of the drum.

While l have shown my device as adapted to roll and wrap curtains, it will be apparent that it may be easily applied to other uses, and while I have only described the rolling and wrapping of a single curtain, it will be seen that more than one may be readily wrapped one about the other in like manner as the single curtain has been rolled and wrapped upon the machine. By reason o the fact that the grippers do not contact directly with the curtain, it will be clear that they cannot in any way cause damage to the curtain, and as the pressure of the tension members may be increased to any desired pressure, the curtain will be wound smoothly and tightly about the core of cardboard.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is the following:-

l. In a curtain wrapping machine, the combination of a wrapping-spindle, means for rotating said spindle, hooks mounted upon a rotatable shaft for engaging the articles to be wrapped about said spindle, said hooks being of a shape and mounting to eX- tend above the periphery of the spindle when said hooks are in engagement position, means for reciprocating said hooks alternately into and out of engagement with the article to be wrapped, means for retaining` said shaft and hooks in such alternate positions until manually moved, and means for applying spring tension to the article to be wrapped about said spindle, substantially as shown, and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a wrapping machine, a rotatable spindle, a shaft having a plurality of hooks mounted in the spindle, sn ap means operable for moving said hooks alternately within the interior of and above the surface of the spintion.

ALFRED RICHTER. 

